Chris Brown: Of Course, I Remember What Happened

He’s ashamed and sorry and wished it never happened. But there’s one thing Chris Brown says he most certainly is not: forgetful.

In a detailed statement to PEOPLE, the singer clarifies what he calls incorrect reports – based on a clip of an interview with Larry King airing Wednesday night – about the events with Rihanna that led to his arrest:

“There have been reports on the Internet that I didn’t remember what happened that night with Rihanna. I want to try and set things straight.

“That 30 seconds of the interview they used of me was taken from a one hour interview during which that same question was asked something like four or five times – and when you look at the entire interview you will see it is not representative of what I said.

“The first four times – or however many times it was – I gave the same answer – which was that I didn’t think it was appropriate for me to talk about what happened that night. I said it was not right for me and it really wasn’t fair to Rihanna. The fifth time – or whatever it was – I just misspoke. I was asked, ‘Do you remember doing it?’ and I said, ‘No.’

“Of course I remember what happened. Several times during the interview, my mother said that I came to her right afterwards and told her everything. But it was and still is a blur. And yes, I still can’t believe it happened because it is not me or who I am, nor is what happened like anything I have ever done before.

“As I have said several times previously, I am ashamed of and sorry for what happened that night and I wish I could relive that moment and change things, but I can’t. I take full responsibility for my actions. What I have to do now is to prove to the world that this was an isolated incident and that is not who I am, and I intend to do so by my behavior now and in the future.”

Court-Ordered Counseling

Right after the incident, Brown tells PEOPLE, he was “distraught” and immediately “went to my mom on the same night and told [her] what happened and broke down.”

With the sentencing behind him, Brown is eager to start the court-ordered counseling sessions. “I want to find out what really transpired as far as me that night. I just want to talk to [the counselor], someone who has dealt with this and has an expertise because I think it would be helpful for me to learn how to channel [the anger] and understand my feelings.”

Brown says he’d never claim to have forgotten the assault or spend time defending his behavior: “I feel like there’s no need to make any excuses. At all.”

For the full interview with Brown and his mother – who calls hearing her son’s confession on the night of the assault "the most painful moment of my life" – pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday